Forget me not
by Lala2597
Summary: A story where Sirius isn't dead but lost his memories. A journey to find his past, rekindled relationships, and the comforting truth that true friends will see each other through to the end.
1. Chapter 1

His mind was blank as he slowly regained consciousness, unable to recall what had happened to him. He woke up in a deserted, dark alley, cold and alone... and terribly hungry. There was a sharp pain in his chest, perhaps he had met with an accident, but he really could not remember. He slowly dragged himself to his feet, lumbering along in his emaciated form, sniffing the air for any signs of food.

He only managed to stagger towards the nearest source of light that he could see, emanating from the windows of a cosy little cottage. The smell of food wafting out of the cottage made him salivate. He pawed anxiously and loudly against the door, hoping the owner may have pity enough to throw him something to eat. There was no response. Desperate, he started to bang his own body against the door, in a vain attempt to break into the cottage. The impact intensified the pain in his chest, and he blacked out once again.

When he woke up, he was surprised to find himself placed on a rug, with food spread out right before his eyes. Without hesitating, he devoured the bread and meat served before him. Only when the plate was emptied did he then notice that there were bandages around his chest. There was also an aged woman sitting on a rocking chair not far from him, staring at him with curious, green eyes. "My, my, you must have been really hungry!" She finally said. "I was worried some robber has decided to take his chance with an old woman like me tonight, so I didn't dare open the door. You can imagine my surprise when the pounding stopped and all I found was you." The old lady smiled kindly. "Poor dear, someone must have ill-treated you, what with that burnt mark on your chest. And look how thin you are!" The old woman said as she shook her head and stood up, walking over to the table to refill his plate with more food.

His plate was refilled another 5 times before he was satiated. He got up gingerly and nosed the old woman's hand, grateful that she had fed him. "Hmm, what am I to do with you then? I can't possibly run you out on the streets with your injuries like that." Horrified that she may chase him out, he cocked his head to the side and stared pleadingly at the old woman. The old woman sighed. "Okay, so it seems I have gotten myself quite an intelligent dog... perhaps you could stay here for awhile", she relented. "My name is Megan, and I wonder what your name should be?" They both decided on the name "Blacky" (he voiced his opinion by barking happily) after his coat of coal, black fur and that was how Blacky spent his next few years, recuperating and keeping the old woman company.

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It has been a year since the war, and Arthur and his family were still trying to pick up the pieces after the horrific deaths of two of his children. Life has gone back to normal ever since Harry defeated the Dark Lord, but deep down everyone was still coping with the fact that they have lost loved ones. Like an open wound that could never heal fully, leaving scars behind. Sometimes Arthur would dream about talking to his dead son Bill, enjoying Butterbeer together like in the old days. Other times, he thought he would see his twin sons grinning cheekily at him, only to realise that there was but one left. His friends have also fought valiantly in the battle and died an honorable death, Mad Eye Moody, Sirus, Remus, Tonks... tears would well up in his eyes as he recalled the tragic deaths of even the newlyweds. But he had to stay strong, for the sake of his surviving children, he needed to rebuild his life and stop trapping himself in the past. Life had to move on...but it wasn't easy.

Feeling the onslaught of another bout of depression, Arthur quickly sought solace in the one place that he knew could make him forget the tragedies of the past. At Kingsway Street was a line of muggle shops full of knickknacks, where Arthur would spend his free days browsing through all the shops, marveling at the strange new creations that the muggles have brought into this world. Sometimes, when he felt generous enough, he may even buy some new inventions home. Take the gadget called a "vacuum cleaner" for example, which promised to suck up all the dust in the house and leave it spick and span. Molly would often chastise him for bringing "all this rubbish" home. After all, he knew fully well that a cleaning spell could do the trick, and would probably be more effective than the bloody vacumm cleaner. But Molly understood that was how Arthur coped with his pain, so she let him be, never bothering to throw out the muggle things that he held so dear.

So it was on one of those days that Arthur decided to go down Kingsway Street again, when he spotted a large black dog trotting obediently behind an old woman. And the dog looked... eerily familiar. Rubbing his eyes and staring again, Arthur had no doubt that the dog resembled Sirius's Animagus form. But how could this be? Perhaps it was his depression getting worse, that imaginary people (or animals) no longer disappear after awhile. But he doubted that. After all, he would have hallucinated about his sons, those he held closest to his heart, not Sirius. Sirius was a good friend, but nothing more. Arthur knew the pain in his heart when Sirius died was nothing compared to when his own family members' dead bodies, lined neatly at Hogwarts' Hall Entrance, greeted him. Perhaps it was just a normal dog that resembled the Animagus, but could it be that coincidental? Even if curiosity killed the cat, Arthur was determined to prove to himself once and for all that the dog was NOT Sirius. A simple spell to reverse the Animagus transformation would do, but Arthur would need to do this without any muggles looking, lest he get into trouble with the ministry.

The man has been following them for awhile, ducking conspicuously in between the myriad of shops that lined Kingsway Street. Honestly, is he that stupid? Blacky detected him long ago. Unfortunately, Megan was a little hard on hearing, and old... perhaps that explained how she could blissfully continue to shop for groceries when there's a dangerous man lurking a few shops away from her. Blacky would do everything to protect Megan, his saviour. With that thought in mind, Blacky turned swiftly behind and gave chase towards the man, barking loudly in warning. The man gave a yelp of horror and ran away, but Blacky wasn't about to let him go. He chased the man all the way towards a secluded alleyway, and knew in his heart that victory was imminent: The man was trapped. Blacky grinned menacingly, preparing to lunge forward and bite the leg of the man, so that he would never dare come near his mistress again. Without preamble, the man waved a stick in front of him. Blacky was confused. Is the man planning to fight him with a... stick? Before he could consider the bizarre situation, a blast of light hit him in the face and he was thrown backward. Angered, he prepared to get up again, only to find that his forelegs have transformed into human hands. Glancing sideways, he stared blankly as a naked human body met his eyes. "Sirius! It's really you!" The man who had attacked him with a stick was now staring openmouthed at him, spouting a name he did not recognize.

"Blacky! Blacky! Where are you?" Megan cried as she hurried around a corner where she saw her dog disappear as it chased a man, wondering why her usually docile dog had suddenly given chase. She anxiously followed suit, as fast as her old legs could carry her, only to discover the man holding a stick and looking stunned. A naked man in his thirties was lying on the floor, staring at his hands with such utter confusion that she almost burst out laughing. She averted her gaze quickly and tried to look for her dog, calling his name in vain. In response to her calls, the naked man turned towards her, and his frustrated expression was wiped away by a smile so joyous, it was almost as if he knew her. Surely she hadn't met such a strange man before? After all, she had lived alone for quite some time now. Shaking her head, she was about to reprimand the young man for not putting on some clothes when she was captivated by the grey orbs of his eyes, the same intelligent grey orbs that Blacky had. What in the world is going on?

Arthur quickly recovered when the old woman appeared, and from the look on her face she seemed shellshocked at the scene before her. He raised his wand, about to cast 'obliviate' (memory erase) at her, but Sirius had faster reflexes. Sensing danger, he got up and pounced at Arthur, knocking the wand off his hand. Trapped under Sirius's body weight, with his arms restrained above his head, Arthur was unable to struggle free. The manic look in Sirius's eyes made Arthur realise that he would never be able to bring Sirius back with him if he laid even a finger on the old lady. After all, Sirius was fiercely protective of those close to him. Time to attempt persuasion... "Ahhem," he addressed the lady, "Uh, I can explain, but we need to get out of here." Arthur said politely. It took a moment for the old lady to tear her eyes away from Sirius to look at him. "Where's my dog? What have you done to him!" she demanded. Arthur did not know what to say. "Your dog is actually a human and he's lying on top of me?" As if the muggle woman would ever believe him. To his surprise, the old lady closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths before looking at him again. "Go find some clothes for this young man, and then we will go back to my cottage where we can talk. You'd better have a good explanation for this!" Upon being freed by Sirius, Arthur hurried to obey.

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A few moments later, Sirius was fully clothed and sitting at the table with Arthur and Megan, listening attentively as Arthur recounted the details of the Wizarding war, who he was, and how he had disappeared through a veil when he was defeated by his evil cousin, Bellatrix. His head thrummed painfully as he tried to recall what Arthur had mentioned, but his mind drew a blank. He was Blacky, Megan's dog, and whatever Arthur said could not be real. He glanced at Megan, who seemed to be enjoying the whole story that Arthur weaved, as if it was a fairy tale, sipping a cup of Earl Grey as she listened.

It was nearly dark when Arthur finally finished his story. After a moment's silence, Megan turned to Sirius and smiled. "And all this time, I've been wondering why you are so clever!" Sensing his loss and confusion, she gave Sirius a hug and whispered, "You will always be Blacky in my heart, but you are also Sirius. Perhaps it is time you leave to find out about your past." "NO!" Sirius cried, momentarily stunned by his own voice. "I don't want to leave you, Megan!" Megan smiled sadly and turned to Arthur. "I only believe you and all these things like magic and transformations because Sirius has Blacky's eyes and protected me. Speaking of which, do you think you can transform back for me, Sirius?" Sirius stared expectantly at Arthur, hoping he would use the stick... wand, again to transform him, but Arthur shook his head. "I can only transform Animaguses back into humans, not the other way around. You will have to use your own ability to do so. Perhaps you can try visualizing yourself as a dog, it may work."

Having no other option, Sirius closed his eyes and concentrated hard, imagining himself back as Blacky, having a sense of hearing and smell keener than humans, and a form with four legs. His whole body would be covered by a black coat of fur. His nose was small and round, always fitting just right in Megan's hand when she gave him something to eat. His bark would echo around the cottage with joy whenever Megan scratched behind his ears, and he enjoyed sleeping on the soft rug next to Megan's bed each night. He could run faster than the wind, and his body would reverberate with raw energy each time he does. In fact, weren't there times when he would chase after his fellow animal friends, immensely content when he managed to catch up and pounce on one of them, sending them all rolling down a hill? There was a wolf there, someone that was important to him... or was it all his imagination?

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Lost in his reverie, Sirius only came to his senses when he felt a hug around his neck. He opened his eyes and was delighted to see that Arthur's advice had worked. He barked happily and nuzzled Megan's cheek, licking her face affectionately. Megan scratched Sirius behind the ears but returned her attention back to Arthur. "Please stay for the night. I will be entrusting Sirius in your care, but I hope he visits once in awhile. It's the least you could do after snatching my only companion away." She glared at Arthur, before softening her gaze to look at Sirius's forlorn face. This would be the last night that she could spend with her beloved Blacky before he left her. She didn't know how long it would be before she could see him again. After all, he was leaving to experience a different world, something totally foreign to her. She had once believed in fairy tales and magic when she was a very young girl, and Megan never imagined that her childhood belief would be proven so pointedly in front of her in her old age. After all, her mind was still reeling from the fact that her dog was actually a tall, handsome man (albeit very thin) with short, glossy black hair, and she was sitting opposite a wizard. Inwardly, she was actually quite proud of herself for absorbing everything and not faint on the spot.

She had half the mind to just chase Arthur away and pretend the incident never happened. She would protect Blacky and they could continue their normal and peaceful lives together. But that was a selfish idea. She would never live with herself for condemning a man to live the life of a dog just so she wouldn't be lonely again. "Come back often and tell me stories of what you see in your world, Sirius," she slowly stroked the fur of the dog she had nursed back to health and willed herself not to cry. "I'm glad to have met you, and it's time you start your own little adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur trudged back to the Burrow, with a sullen Sirius Black in tow. He had transformed into a human so that Arthur could get him more clothes and a few essential supplies, such as a wand, since Sirius's had disappeared mysteriously through the veil, along with his other belongings. Sirius hadn't spoken much while they travelled and shopped, giving monosyllabic answers here and there. Arthur was just glad he hadn't lost his ability to speak along with his memories. He wondered how Molly would take the sight of Sirius, after explaining briefly on the mobile phone (Another wonderful invention! So much faster than owls!) about what he had seen. He needn't have worried. The moment the door was flung open, Molly pulled Sirius into a bear hug. "Oh my god! I can't believe you are alive!" she gushed happily. Affected by her joy, Sirius smiled slightly. After settling in and a hearty meal (Molly went overboard with the cooking, but Sirius finished everything anyway, to her delight), Molly and Arthur sat down to discuss what Sirius should do.

"Do you not remember anything at all, Sirius?" Molly asked, as Sirius began toying with the radio sitting on the table. A sudden loud blast of music startled them all, and Sirius quickly switched off the radio and left it alone. He looked thoughtful for awhile before he replied, "When Arthur got me that wand today, the magic I was channeling into the wand felt familiar..." he finally said, "and Diagon Alley looked familiar too. It seems part of my memory comes back to me when I travel to different places. And just staring at this place reminds me that you, Arthur, are still overly obsessed with muggle things."

Astounded, Arthur asked, "You remember me?" To which Sirius pouted and replied, "Yes, of course. I spent the whole day remembering that I was actually human. And then you were by my side talking to me all the time when I was trying to jog my memory, you idiot. But it helps, being with someone I used to know. Your actions and speech seem to naturally trigger my memories of spending time with you. I remember Molly was always very welcoming and probably sheltered me while I was on the run. Ah, if I recall correctly, you do have alot of children, don't you? Where are they?" he glanced curiously at the empty house. It was like a stab through the heart once again. Sirius felt discomfited by the sudden silence and wondered if he had said something wrong. "They are at Hogwarts, our children..." Molly finally managed. It took them awhile to retell the events of the war and the people they had lost. Molly decided that she should spend the next few days telling Sirius about things he needed to know, his friends, his godson Harry, everything. It was too dangerous for him to go out alone with his amnesia, if he could not even perform simple spells to protect himself. Although Sirius's name was officially cleared after the war (Harry made sure of that), many people still believed that the notorious Sirius Black was the murderer of 13 people rather than the weak, mousy looking Peter Pettigrew. Though of course, most people wouldn't recognize the Sirius Black now with short, black hair and a clean, shaven face, with a healthier complexion and figure to boot. Megan must have done a good job caring for the doggy version. Still, they didn't want to take the risk. And Sirius had to stay hidden in case Harry found out. Until Sirius could remember everything, they didn't want to let Harry see Sirius again. It would be too painful for Harry to be once again reunited with his godfather only to find out that he had been forgotten.

Therefore, they needed a healer that they could trust to better understand Sirius's condition in private. If possible, they needed Sirius to regain his memories before the school holidays start. But who could they look for? Arthur decided he could try asking around the Ministry. After all, each Auror had the right to hire a personal Healer that would attend to their wounds on dangerous missions, someone they trusted deeply. James's Healer was Lily, and that meant Sirius should have one too. Arthur just sincerely hoped it wasn't Pettigrew that Sirius hired, that would just be ironic wouldn't it?

The next day, Arthur went back to work and sought out Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Huh, why would you want to know Sirius's healer all of a sudden?" Kingsley furrowed his eyebrows. "Sirius died long ago, what's the point in finding out now?" Arthur knew that inevitable question was going to come. Mastering the best innocent expression he could, he said, "I dreamt of Bill again last night. And it occurred to me that while Bill had us to remember him, Sirius only had Harry. I'm sure Sirius must have had other close friends that would visit his grave yes? But no one knows that Sirius's grave is marked next to James and what really happened the day he DISAPPEARED, except us. The Daily Prophet just said he got killed by Bellatrix, but that's not really true. I thought Sirius's personal healer might be a good place to start, you know, letting his friends know what happened to him, it's only right... so..." Arthur was blabbering, and he could tell his lie wasn't going to work with Kingsley. He swallowed uncomfortably. Luckily for him though, Kingsley shook his head sadly and said," That hadn't occurred to me. So many things had to be done after the war to turn things back to normal, you know? Repairing houses, reuniting people, rescuing the prisoners, protecting Harry from rabid fans. But you are right, I suppose it's time to put some effort to tracking down the people who knew our friends and let them know what happened. Sirius's personal healer was Jasline Simpson, she was a classmate of Sirius's, from Ravenclaw. Met her a couple of times when I was on missions with Sirius. Let me just look up the address for you..."

After work, Arthur hurried over to the address that Kingsley found. He stood gaping at a relatively large mansion, with a neatly trimmed lawn that was artfully decorated with rows of flowers at the sides. Cautiously, he rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal a lithe and beautiful woman that was almost the same height as him, with green eyes and silky blonde hair tied in a ponytail. "Yes?" she asked. Arthur looked at her and checked the address again, yep, the correct one. He suddenly felt rather self-conscious and briefly considered whether to mumble an apology and make a run for it before he lost his nerves. Nah, he came all the way here, there was no turning back. What was he expecting anyway? It should have been logical that the flirtatious Sirius Black would choose a tall beauty to be his healer. After making brief introductions, Jasline invited Arthur in. It turned out that she was no longer working as a healer but had recently switched jobs to Gringotts, the sight of the injured and dying finally taking a toll on her during the war. Arthur quickly filled her in about Sirius.

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	3. Chapter 3

Jasline was preparing to go into her daily yoga routine when the stranger knocked on the door and introduced himself as Arthur Weasley, someone from the Muggle Department at the Ministry. No wonder he looked familiar. In her brief stint as Sirius's personal healer, she had seen him a couple of times, but they were never formally introduced. Sirius had inherited a large fortune from his Uncle and offered to pay her an attractive salary for becoming his personal healer, meaning she could only work part-time at St Mungo's, but it wasn't the money she was after. She had been good friends with both Sirius and Remus due to their shared love for Muggle music, a fact that she discovered after talking to a reticent Remus in the Prefect's common room in fifth year. But she always felt closer to Sirius. They had first met on the Quidditch pitch in first year. She was a Chaser and later became Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, while Sirius was a Gryffindor Beater. He always made it a point to aim the Bludger at her. There used to be only outright animosity then, but they decided to call a truce when Jasline's other good friend, Lily, fell in love with Sirius's best mate, James. After that, it was only friendly jibes at each other's abilities, and Jasline soon found Sirius to be rather conversational and companionable. Sirius also had an annoying but at times endearing habit of protecting those around him, so it was with much amusement that Jasline always saw spiteful Slytherins flying away from her before she could even whip out her own wand. Sirius was like her older brother, someone she cherished greatly, for she was an only child.

So she readily agreed to be a personal healer, for Jasline knew all too well that her immature "brother" was always getting into trouble, so she didn't mind tagging along Sirius on dangerous missions simply because she wanted to make sure he was safe. And she was quite right, having to sometimes stop Sirius from acting rashly and falling into obvious traps or doing stupid things, like attempting to fight a dragon alone. She had rejected the salary right from the start, taking only one quarter of the amount offered to cover for the lost salary in her original job. But the stupid git ignored her and credited the full sum to her anyway. Just to spite him, she spent most of it acquiring this towering mansion, which she quite regretted since she lived by herself, but Sirius only laughed and said it suited her well. And now he was gone.

Jasline was quite surprised that Sirius had approached her instead of Pettigrew. He never mentioned it, but Jasline suspected Sirius didn't trust Pettigrew as much as his other friends. Either that, or he doubted Pettigrew's aptitude as a wizard. Even when he became James's secret keeper and felt that he was incapable of carrying on that responsibility, the first person he looked for to replace him was Remus. Even though Remus had mysteriously disappeared, and Peter Pettigrew was right there. In the end, Sirius had to give up the search, and contacted Pettigrew instead. That proved to be his downfall.

When Sirius was incarcerated, Jasline never once doubted his innocence. Sure he was rash, sometimes stupid, but he was never disloyal, always willing to throw his life away to protect those that were important to him. Jasline visited him almost everyday, trying to assure him that he would be released soon enough. But the crazed look in his eyes told her that Sirius was no longer himself, he was devoid of hope. He shouted and screamed for her to leave. He didn't want her to see him in such a pitiable state. But Jasline didn't want to leave her close friend behind, to suffer alone within the bleak confines of Azkaban. There were times where she doubted her judgment, unable to believe that Pettigrew, ever the follower, would be able to fool Sirius like that. And then there were the constant open hostilities flying around whenever Sirius's name was mentioned. Even Sirius, in his worse off days, kept declaring that he was a mass murderer. It was with fierce determination that Jasline stayed by his side, only to have her heart broken each time she saw how Sirius's health deteriorated, and the lack of response. He could rave at her for all he wanted, for it was better than the still silence that greeted her from the cell. It was as if his soul had vanished, leaving an empty shell to stare blankly back at her, not even acknowledging her existence.

Yet despite her best efforts, work caught up with her. As the war ensued, more and more patients required her medical care. Her job was equally depressing, as patients hit with the Crucio curse too many times by those debauched death eaters are unlikely to recover again. They would suffer from waking nightmares, face contorted with anguish and fear, unable to break free from the imaginary pain that held them captive. There were also others that suffered severe burns or permanent injuries, that even her healing magic and potions could not cure. Jasline devoted her whole being into her work, praying silently every day that the war would end soon. Lost in the hectic ways of life, Jasline felt guilty for not visiting Sirius, but there was nothing she could do. Sirius slowly drifted out of her life, and she never saw him again, not even when he broke out of prison, nor when he died so suddenly on that fateful day.

And now, Arthur just proclaimed that Sirius was alive and kicking, living in the Burrow along with them. What are the odds? Her heart leaped at the thought that her old friend was back, but her mind resolutely believed that it may all be fake. Well… there's only one way to find out. "Give me some time to pack up some things and we will go, Arthur." She smiled brilliantly at the shy man.


	4. Chapter 4

Half an hour later, Arthur and Jasline Apparated back to the Burrow, where quick introductions were made. Jasline brought along her entire medical kit, shrunk to a portable size. She was happy to note that Sirius looked a little more like what he was before Azkaban, just slightly older and thinner. At least now the light danced in his eyes, and he was cheerful again. However, Sirius did not remember her, and Jasline knew it was futile pushing the issue. For now, Sirius was her patient and she was determined to do whatever she could to help him regain his memories, if only she knew where the problem laid. Judging from what Arthur recounted, Sirius had taken his Animagus form after he fell through the veil, and everything else vanished. Perhaps the veil had the ability to erase the existence of matter, and Sirius's body had unconsciously countered the effect by converting to another form. If that was the case, why were his memories affected? And were they permanently erased or was it a temporary effect? So far, they only knew that Sirius could remember some things when he interacted with people or by going to familiar places. It could be simple amnesia caused by a concussion after he lost to Bellatrix, because Jasline could not find any presence of enchantments or spells that could have sealed Sirius's memories when she examined his head.

She heaved a heavy sigh and turned to the two anxious people standing at the side, waiting for her prognosis. "It isn't any physical or magical damage that I could cure. Sirius would have to try to remember on his own. Perhaps we could bring him to different places where he might remember something?" Arthur frowned, while Molly wrung her hands worriedly. If Sirius could not remember everything by the end of the month when the kids return, he would have to stay somewhere else, but the couple did not know who else they could trust. Sensing their concern, Jasline offered to give Sirius a place to stay. After all, her house was full of vacant guest rooms that were only occupied when her friends came over to visit. She could take a few days off, and maybe bring Sirius to the places he had been before… Godric's Hollow, Grimmauld Place, Hogwarts… An idea hit her when Hogwarts came to mind. It would be the best place for Sirius to start, re-learning spells and basic magic knowledge, perhaps it would trigger something. The question is, how could they smuggle Sirius there without Harry realizing who he was?

Sirius stood awkwardly in front of the Hogwarts headmistress, who introduced herself as Professor Mcgonagall. During the past few weeks that Jasline visited often, they devised an ingenious plan for Sirius to enroll at Hogwarts without raising anybody's suspicions. Since the only magic Sirius could perform was transfiguration, they had worked on it each day, and Sirius managed to modify his human features into a miniature, more masculine looking Jasline. He was supposed to masquerade as Jasline's distant nephew, whose parents had died in an accident. Being home-schooled, there was no other place that he, currently Jack Whitley, could go. Since his only surviving kin, Jasline, is an alumnus of Hogwarts, she decided to seek the Headmaster's help to enroll her nephew. Professor Mcgonagall had stared suspiciously at Jack, for she knew Hogwarts staff would be sent to persuade parents unwilling to send their talented children to Hogwarts to reconsider. And if persuasion failed, then on a case by case basis the student's name would be recorded so that they would not bother the same family again. She knew there was no "Jack Whitley" on the list. But she trusted her model student and supposed Jasline must have had her reasons for wanting this child enrolled. Since the Sorting Hat had already retired and gone back to sleep for the school term, Prof Mcgonagall arbitrarily placed Jack into Gryffindor, where she was also the Head of House, so that she could keep an eye on the poor child and figure out the purpose of Jasline's actions.

Sirius joined the Gryffindor table with trepidation, wondering if he would have trouble interacting with so many kids about 30 years his junior. And he was supposed to behave like them. Sirius presumed it wasn't so different from being Blacky, the same childish delight and innocence yes? It should be a synch. He immediately spotted Harry Potter, the boy with the lightning scar, whom Jasline said was his godson. James Potter's son…His memories were still fuzzy about his school days, but he did recall that he had 3 close friends, James being one of them. The memories of their pranks together were nostalgic, and Sirius was secretly glad that he couldn't remember how Peter had betrayed them, even if the blank in that part of his life was disconcerting. Most people at the table were warm and friendly, having heard about his 'plight' from Prof Mcgonagall. Most of them had lost loved ones during the war, so they understood what Jack was going through. George Weasley had given him a hard thump on the back in a show of solidarity, and Sirius felt a pang of guilt for deceiving these kids. This was all Jasline's fault. Sirius wanted nothing more than to hide himself under the blanket back at the Burrow and live the rest of his life just doing household chores for Molly. Who was he kidding? He was supposed to be a Gryffindor, one of the bravest and most fearsome fighters (or so he heard). What was he doing cowering in fear just because he had to go back to school again? Giving a mental slap to himself, Sirius mastered the most nervous and forceful smile he knew a boy who lost his parents would give, and engaged in conversation with George about the next epic prank they were going to inflict on the hapless Slytherins. He was Sirius Black, once a member of the renowned Marauders who could play a prank and get away with it. He was a first class liar and actor, and he would give the whole school the best performance as Jack Whitley, if only to save his own hide. Yep, no one can find out his secret.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry had noticed the new student that joined them right after the summer break. He was a boy his height and slightly younger, with blond hair, green eyes and a pleasant face. What caught everyone's attention was that Jack was home-schooled, so it was difficult to determine which class he should be joining. By the first few weeks, Jack had already tried out the third and fourth year classes and topped each class, prompting Prof Mcgonagall to move him to fifth year for the following week. Stunned by his intellect, his multitude of friends from class didn't hesitate to swarm him with questions from homework. At this rate, Harry wasn't surprised if he became classmates with Jack. He was actually quite glad there was someone who finally took the spotlight away from him, he was afraid his reputation as the hero who defeated Voldemort would be haunting him for the rest of his school life. Due to interruption from the war, Harry and his friends would be repeating their sixth and seven years, while George would be graduating by the end of the year. Harry had been staying with the Weasleys, who wouldn't hear of him moving out on his own, even if he had the financial means to do so due to his celebrity status. It was good in a way, after all, that meant he could spend every day with his friend Ron, and more importantly, his girlfriend Ginny. Prolonging school also meant he didn't have to make crucial decisions in his life yet, like where to work after graduation, getting married, etc. Harry swallowed at the thought that he had to face all these decisions on his own. Of course, his friends were there, but there was never someone older, a parent figure, that would be able to guide him through life's tribulations. Harry almost laughed at the fact that he could decide to fight a war so easily, but was so indecisive when it came to the simpler things. After all, he never expected to live past the day he had to face Voldemort, so life was paradoxically straightforward for him then: Fight Voldemort, and maybe die, but at least his friends would live and that was all that mattered. Life was much happier now, but also all the more complicated.

It was with such gratitude that Harry decided to strike a conversation with Jack, and perhaps become friends. Harry didn't make a habit of socializing with people outside of his clique unless he was absolutely certain the person wouldn't stalk him, or gush incessantly about his bravery in front of him. It was absolutely revolting. He was a normal guy, just like everybody else, sans the lightning scar and the tiny detail that he defeated Voldemort. He did catch Jack staring at him a couple of times, but the boy was merely regarding him with a curious look, not the dreamy, reverent looks that the girls (and sometimes boys) would bestow upon him. So it was safe to talk to Jack, Harry hoped. Anyway, the choice was taken out of his hands when he had to save the poor fellow orphan from the hands of the evil Slytherins.


	6. Chapter 6

To his amazement, Sirius was actually getting used to school life. Jasline would swing by once in awhile to check on his progress and get him new textbooks considering his quick progress through the school education. When he first joined the third year class, none of his spells worked. He couldn't even charm the cup on the table to move on its own. His Gryffindor classmates would offer encouragement, but the Slytherins snickered at him outright, taunting him about his credibility as a wizard. Chagrined, Sirius would spend the time after school at the library, reading textbooks on animating objects in a desperate attempt to jog his memory. That night, exhausted from using his brain the whole day, Sirius had fallen into a deep dreamless sleep. He had expected to fail again with spells the next day, but somehow he could feel the energy coursing through his arm as he channeled it to his wand, very much like the first time he stepped into the wand shop with Arthur. The cup pranced about in front of him, to his delight. His stint at the library had worked! From that day onwards, Sirius spent every day in the library, reading books from every genre, only leaving when the librarian chased him out.

Despite his exhaustion though, Sirius had to remember one crucial thing: to eat a pill before he slept every day in order to maintain his appearance as Jack. Unlike the Polyjuice potion, transfiguration effects would last until the person becomes unconscious. Since Sirius could change his features at will, it would also be safer for him to eat the pill so that he did not have to redo his transfiguration each day, lest he missed out some important detail of Jack's features. The pill would be able to maintain the transfiguration effect for up to 8 hours, so Sirius had to make sure that he woke up punctually every day, a difficult task considering his previous leisurely life as a dog and his taxing reading activities every day. He bet every galleon he currently owned (donations from Molly and Jasline) that Remus would be laughing in his grave if he ever found out Sirius had become the model student that he so abhorred, imitating Remus as he sought the solace of the library on a daily basis. He could never fathom why Remus would prefer to stay indoors reading unbelievably boring books all day when he could be out playing with friends. Now, he supposed he could understand the reason: the more you kept to yourself, the easier it was to hide a secret. The books were still equally boring, but at least he didn't have to fear giving himself away each time he had to converse with someone.

Sirius hadn't expected to make any friends given this routine. He even rejected George's insistence that he join in a prank, although his heart itched to exact revenge on those who have mocked him. But Jasline had warned him not to get into trouble, given his erratic abilities and the necessity to maintain Jack's features. Sirius would surely become the target for abuse if he dared to provoke the Slytherins, having only a slim chance of fighting back. With each passing day, he grew stronger and remembered more spells, his improving memory helping him to ace his exams, so that he could progress to a higher class and hopefully leave the school quietly with Jack's identity intact. However, he still had a long way to go from a full recovery, enough to graduate from Hogwarts and fend for himself, and ideally for Harry, if they were ever reunited. He briefly wondered how life would be like in future. Given his official death certificate, Sirius's previous records as a stellar Hogwarts graduate (he only didn't get A for potions, but managed a pass) would have been deleted from government records, so he wouldn't be able to get a well-paying job unless he relied on his reputation as an ex-Auror. Yet, given his more well-known persona as the ex-Prisoner of Azkaban, he doubted anyone would hire him. It would be utterly humiliating if he ended up feeding off his now obviously wealthy godson. It was already bad enough that he had to borrow from Molly and Jasline for the time being, whom he vowed he would repay one day.

Yet as time passed, he unwittingly assumed the role of a walking dictionary, given his unprecedented ability to skip grades and his permanent residence at the library. Soon enough, he was accosted with classmates from his previous classes, all clamoring for him to help out with homework. While he felt sorry for the kids and helped them to the best of his current abilities, the one student Sirius longed to talk to and learn more about was his godson. But he was unsure of how to approach him. After all, Harry always had Ron and Hermione in tow; it would be awkward for him, currently a fifth year, to suddenly talk to him for no reason. His only memory of Harry was that moment he had appeared at the window on a Hippogriff, rescuing him from some tower where he was held prisoner. Harry had seemed like an angel with wings then, offering him salvation. Sirius had tried and failed to remember anything else.

Naturally, Sirius soon came under the radar of a few Fifth year Slytherins, who couldn't stand his popularity. They had cornered him straight after potions class, blocking him from the exit of the dungeon. His auror training coming back to him, Sirius could have cast a spell to nullify all offensive magic, but that would only raise further suspicion, considering high level magic was only taught outside of school. Such spells required a strong constitution and stabilized magic in order to be performed successfully, so only an adult could have handled the spell properly, much like the Animagus transformation, Sirius thought amusedly. Since it also saps a lot of the user's energy, Aurors usually cast such a spell if they needed a quick escape and were outnumbered, the situation that Sirius found himself in right now. Five wizards, there was no way he could take them out at once without some desperate measures. Aiming some "immobulus" at the group, Jack managed to take out two Slytherins before one of them threw a spell that lifted him easily off the ground and turned him upside down, anchored at the ankle. Resigned to his fate, Jack looked miserable as the Slytherins cackled evilly beneath him. He wondered how long the torture would take.


End file.
